


Warm Like You

by Skullnar



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Gen, M/M, Unspoken words, bonding moment, injured keith, injured klance, klance, warm like you, worried lance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-29
Updated: 2016-08-29
Packaged: 2018-08-11 16:54:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7900531
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Skullnar/pseuds/Skullnar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Injured, Keith is taken by Lance to a conflictless zone of the planet they had landed upon. There, Keith understands just how much pressure Lance endured when the red paladin's life was on the brink of disappearance. This leads to a profound bonding moment, unspoken words exchanged.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Warm Like You

**Author's Note:**

> I have [Tumblr](https://skullnar.tumblr.com/) where I post lots of klance and voltron stuff

“Keith, hang on! I’m coming!”

Nothing registered. Keith lay on his side, breath staggering and chest heaving dramatically. He couldn’t respond to Lance, tell him it was alright and they would be fine. Every time he opened his mouth to try and get the words out, he’d gag, blood bubbling at his lips and spilling onto his chin. 

Keith knew the words he desired to say were false; A glance downwards to see the open hole in his stomach and pool of crimson below him was enough to know. He could still remember the excruciating pain he felt the moment he was shot. It had been as though he’d been pierced with a blazing metal, except the pain had spread throughout the whole of his front.

The burn had eventually come in overwhelming waves, overriding his surroundings. Yet, in mid of it all, as numbness had begun claiming his senses, he stepped out of the ship, gaze never leaving the approaching Galra soldier as he slammed his palm against the controllers. The door slid closed and his knees buckled.

His breath was immediately knocked out of his lungs on contact with the rocky ground beneath him, and gasping for breath took all of his energy. Soon after, however, not even gasp for breath he could; all he could do was shut his eyes and breathe. All of his limbs felt detached, as though they didn’t belong to them.

Suddenly, the pain came, and Keith wanted to scream. But he couldn’t. All he did was tilt his head forward to see the gash ripping his skin. It pulsed an ugly red, slowly pooling and tinging all of his shredded uniform. He paled at the sight, resting his head back with hitching breath.

“Keith?” He heard Lance say shakily through his helmet. He moaned into the comm—the only sound he was capable of making.

“Damn it,” Lance cursed from the other side, and Keith saw the blue lion piercing past the clouds. Reassurance seeped into Keith, but the grim reminded of his injury smothered it with torturous nausea. He could hear the engines of the blue lion approaching. He felt sleepy despite the blaring sound, and giving in to the urge of rest was immense. But Keith knew he couldn’t. If he succumbed to the urge of peace, he would not be back.

He watched as Lance’s lion fired at the ship beside him, sending it—and the locked glass door obstructing the Galra’s exit—into ashes and debris. Keith’s lips twisted in sadistic satisfaction at the fate that greeted the soldiers who chased him, but his pleasure was abruptly seized as the pain in his stomach intensified and his breathing nearly seized, his heart stuttering in panic.

Muffled panting filled his ears soon, and he couldn’t tell if his hearing was already failing him. Lance tear stained face then appeared before his, choking a sob. He could see Lance’s lips moving, likely saying his name, but the world was muted—the silence was deafening.

Lance’s trembling fingers captured his arms before moving along his shoulders to his back. There, he felt Lance struggling to hoist his body up, and he suddenly found himself being carried by Lance into the Lion.

“Keith,” Lance tried, swallowing the bile that had formed in his throat. “Keith, please, answer me.”

All the red paladin did was grunt. Lance placed him behind his seat in the cockpit, flicking the controllers in the lion and beginning flight. He bothered not seat himself; Lance immediately rummaged through the lion in search of something that could aid Keith. The Blue Lion could pilot itself towards the next safe zone on this planet.

When Keith felt Lance’s hesitant fingers on his cheek, he immediately leaned towards the source of warmth. His eyes were closed—He couldn't open them, but he knew Lance was there for him. The warmth transferred from Lance’s skin to Keith’s felt comforting in the coldness and emptiness he felt. 

It felt like hope.

 

The moment he returned to consciousness, Keith felt far too many things flood his mind. The first thing he felt was the pain in his lower stomach, the place he’d been shot. Then, following close, the blinding light burning his irises, the rocky ground, the smell of fresh leaves and the soft rustling of his hair in a breeze. 

He blinked a few times before he was capable of adjusting his vision. The moment he did he saw verdant canopies above him, pierced by radiant sunlight. The place felt almost ethereal, or so it would, if not for the pain shaking his body. 

Taking a steadying breath, Keith lifted the upper half of his body with a grunt. He was only capable of gazing ahead at the rising, twisting and hovering trees of the jungle for a second before strength left his limbs and he fell back.

“...Keith?’ Lance’s voice came from behind him. Keith glanced backward and saw the lions landed there, both seemingly curled on one another. 

From the rock he’d been sitting on, under the shadow of higher branches, Lance sprung to his feet. He threw himself by Keith’s side. 

“You’re awake,” Lance hiccupped, smiling down at his friend. The relief was clear on Lance’s face.

“Yeah,” Keith grunted, a smile of his own on his lips—Lance’s smile was contagious. He didn’t know how long he’d been out, but the thirst and hunger he felt led him to assume it had been a rather long time. He asked it anyways. 

“How long was I out for?” He questioned, and then added. “And how did I even survive? I shot like that should have…”

“Don’t even,” Lance shook his head, interrupting Keith. “You’re not dead and that’s what matters.”

Keith nodded, biting his lip.

“For now, let’s get you something to eat and drink. I’ll tell ya after that.” Lance rose from the ground, brushing his pants before offering a hand to Keith. “Come on. Try to stand—I’ll help you.”

With effort, Keith obeyed, taking Lance’s hand and letting himself be pulled to his feet. As soon as he stood straight, Keith fell forward, the pain that shot through him enabling his legs. Instantly, Lance caught him in his arms, stepping back to keep his balance.

“Hey, you alright?”

“Yeah,” Keith replied and pushed himself out of Lance’s embrace, flushed. “Just dizzy.”

“Oh, alright,” Lance’s hands hovered awkwardly around Keith, hesitant in case the red paladin’s limbs gave out again. “Do you think you can walk, though?”

“Yeah,” Keith said, already giving a wobbly step away.

“Great then,” Lance beamed. “You can look around a bit while I get food.”

Before Lance could move, however, Keith grabbed his wrist. “Wait,” Keith furrowed his eyebrows, “Where are you even going?”

“There’s a lake nearby,” Lance told him. “When you were out I was getting water and food from there.”

 

The hours spent away from Lance seemed like an age to Keith. He’d watched as Lance waved at him before disappearing among high leaves and trees, the green swallowing Lance’s silhouette in less than seconds. 

He immediately sat down against a trunk. This planet was hot. It reminded him of earth in some aspects, such as the exotic surrounding, but it also seemed completely alien to him in other, such as the weirdly colored bushes and strange sounds.

It was serene, though. Loud yet silent—The atmosphere itself was composed by the noises of the wild, and removing them would simply make it feel wrong. With a content sigh, Keith settled to wait for Lance with a nap. Despite having only awoken he felt drained. The rumbling of his stomach led him to groan in annoyance and cover his face, waiting for sleep to claim him.

“Keith? Seriously, again?” 

“...Lance?” Keith asked, bringing his hands to shield himself from the day’s light.

“Yeah, mullet,” Lance rolled his eyes. “Who else?”

Keith’s eyebrow rose in suspicion at Lance’s snappy behavior. Since the moment he’d been rescued Lance had been acting unusually kind. He guessed things were now back to normal.

“Anyways,” Lance stretched a bit before sitting down with crossed legs. “Here. I got ya some weird fruit thing—it’s eatable. I’ve tried it before. And then for the water I just filled some bottles I found when I was rummaging through the lion, looking for something, uh, save you.”

Gratefully, Keith took the food from Lance’s hand. 

“Thanks,” He said before bringing the fruit to his lips. Despite its weird shape and color—magenta—the taste was piquant; Keith found himself devouring it with a gusto.

“By the way,” Keith spoke after a while, the fruits juice’s dripping from his chin. “You said you saved me… how? That shot should have killed me.”

Lance frowned and set his food aside, grabbing his toes and rocking back and forth. Keith patiently waited for him to speak.

“When I got you inside blue, I didn’t really know what to do, to be honest,” Lance admitted, almost guilty. “I first thought of setting out to the castle, but the moment I saw your injury I… I knew we wouldn’t make it, so I set the lion to auto-pilot to another part of this planet.”

Lance paused and took a shuddering breath. Despite being the one to have been shot, Keith knew Lance must have gone through immense panic; having a companion’s life depending on you couldn’t be easy. He was pretty sure he wouldn’t have been able to do whatever Lance did to save him.

Lance didn’t even notice Keith’s fingers rubbing circles on his palm when he spoke again.

“I started rummaging around desperately when I found it. I didn’t really know what it was because it was written in Altean, but I figured it was medical from the looks of it. I remember taking hours deciding if I should or not. My instincts told me to use it, but what if it was something else entirely? What if It killed you? It didn’t. But I could have killed you, Keith,” Lance finally looked. And Keith saw just how much pressure had been put upon him. 

Ducking his head shamefully, Lance spoke, “For that, Keith, I’m sorry.”

“Don't be,” Keith replied instantly. “What you did was more than right. Heck, if I was in your place, you’d have probably died.”

Lance snorted, his actions more miserable than anything else. “Yeah, right."

“I’m not kidding, idiot,” Keith shook his head, the hint of a smile playing at his lips. “What you did back there was actually right.”

“Actually?”

“Yeah,” Keith said. “Actually. Not often you do something right.”

“I’ll have you know, mullet,” Lance said boastfully, unconsciously leaning closer. “That I do plenty right, irregardless of what you think.”

“Regardless.”

“Huh?”

“Irregardless isn’t a word, stupid,” Keith told him. “Regardless is the correct way to say it.”

“Did you just--” Lance huffed and crossed his arms. “Who the heck cares?”

Keith shrugged and said nothing.

After a few moments of staring, Keith sighed.

“You’re an idiot,” He chuckled, his forehead coming to meet Lance’s in a soft—almost tender—touch. Lance flushed but Keith did not notice. “But I guess that’s what makes you you.

“Wh-what’s wrong with you?” Lance stuttered, pouting and willing the red on his cheeks to vanish to oblivion.

“Nothing,” was Keith’s flat reply.

“Whaddya mean, nothing?” Lance pursed his lips. “You don't exactly wanna go leaning you forehead against mine these days.”

“Whoever said I don't?” Keith smirked at Lance’s embarrassment.

“What the hell, man?” 

“Lance,” Keith spoke.

“W-what?”

“Shut up.”

Lance muttered but obliged. Then, all they could hear was the fatherly hands of the wind caressing the land, coming to envelop them. The rustling of leaves, chirping of creatures and water circulation of nearby bodies of water filled the air. 

Both Lance and Keith breathed out in content simultaneously, their eyes remaining closed.

“How does it feel?” Keith asked suddenly, and Lance smiled genuinely.

“Peaceful.” He said without a hint of hesitation. What do you think?”

“Warm,” Keith said. “yeah, warm. like...” 

The unspoken words were easily conveyed, they both knew, and the face splitting grins on their faces couldn’t be contained.

Like you.

**Author's Note:**

> I have [Tumblr](https://skullnar.tumblr.com/) where I post lots of klance and voltron stuff


End file.
